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In the morning.
"I'll set an alarm for the day before the supposed day of November 0", I said out loud as I accessed the clock app on my phone and set a special alarm for November 15th.
The next thing I wrote down in my notebook were the lessons I gave my base mate, whose name or face I still can't remember. They seemed simple, but for dealing with zombies with limited mobility, they're especially effective. You don't need to know a martial art or have complete control over weapons; you just need to know your enemies' weak points and use the fewest moves to get rid of them.
"Looks like in the next dream I'll be visiting this acquaintance who's planning to establish a settlement", I thought.
After writing down everything I remembered, I took the time to think about dreams and their effect on my life.
The first thing that came to mind was that having these kinds of predictive dreams seems like a blessing, but at the same time, it's a curse. It allows me to know something as important as the date a disaster is going to strike, but it doesn't allow me to warn people who are suffering in the future, so they can avoid the bad times and dangers that will happen once this apocalypse begins. Even everyone I know has been warned, but they won't believe me and will just think I'm just another one of the many people who have succumbed to insanity due to social pressure.
"They could avoid everything if I could remember their names or faces, but unfortunately, that's beyond my capabilities. Or maybe that's one of the limitations of having this gift", I thought, a little sadly.
Determined not to waste time complaining, I got up and began my daily routine. I washed, dressed, and cooked a light breakfast. I had planned to arrive fairly early to work, as an action plan was being formulated to deal with this catastrophe, and I needed to ask my supervisor few favors.
After finishing lunch, I left the house with a notebook in hand. I got in the truck and drove to work at a moderate speed. There was no need to rush too much, as the time I saved in the morning was enough.
I arrived at work, and there were only a few people who had arrived before me. One of them was my supervisor, and the other, to my surprise, was David. Although I didn't see him in person, I saw his truck was in the designated parking lot.
I left my truck parked next to David's and approached my supervisor with a big smile; I wanted to appear friendly.
"Hello, dear supervisor", I said in a cordial tone.
"Dear supervisor? Didn't I tell you formalities weren't necessary, just call me by my name", he said, a little incredulous and annoyed by the way I spoke to him. "You remember my name, right?", he asked, frowning.
"Of course I remember, Supervisor Rick. After all, you're the best boss I've ever had", I said, trying to flatter him.
"Just Rick is fine. And aside from excessive formality, the other thing I hate is flatterers", he said in a dangerously annoyed tone. "If you keep doing that, I'll take the liberty of not accepting any requests from you, and I'll also write down in detail how late you're being. Do you understand me?", he warned me in the same tone.
"Sure, Rick, no problem", I said with a radical change of attitude.
"So, what do you need?", he said, a little calmer with my new attitude.
"I need to borrow the truck this weekend and next", I said directly, without beating around the bush. "Are you clear on the next steps?", he asked me.
"Yes, today after I finish work, I must show him the truck's odometer again. And I must cover the fuel costs for personal use corresponding to the number of kilometers traveled", I told him, remembering the rules to the letter.
"And if the fuel you add exceeds the corresponding kilometers traveled, you can request a refund at the end of the month, and it will be added to your net pay", he told me, adding part of the rules.
"It won't be necessary", I replied with conviction.
"Whatever you want", Rick said.
"So, can I use it?", I asked him for confirmation.
"Yes, no problem. You can come with me in the afternoon, and if you can't find me, a photo will do. However, you must be careful, because if you have an accident, you'll have to cover most of the repairs", he said worriedly. Although I don't know if it's for me or for the truck.
"Thank you very much. See you later", I said as I returned to my truck. I had a lot of free time and was planning to schedule preparation time.
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[A/N: It's great when you have someone at work who cares and looks out for you, have you ever had someone like that?]
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I got to my truck, grabbed my notebook and a pencil, and started jotting down some ideas.
"I could start by renting a house on the outskirts of the city, or some unoccupied warehouse, and buy supplies so I'd be prepared for anything, or I could buy a sturdy vehicle so I could get around safely, or…", I said out loud, my tone growing increasingly frustrated as I jotted down one idea after another, not entirely convinced of what I was writing. They seemed like good ideas, but they didn't seem to work out quite right.
Frustrated, I tore the page out of my notebook and took a moment to breathe deeply and calm myself. Once I was calm, I picked up the notebook again and began writing a sequence of steps that I thought would guide me. If I needed to modify something, it was easy to see where I could make changes.
I constantly wrote and modified the list of steps to follow, trying to cover everything necessary to survive. If a new idea came to me, I would rewrite everything. In the end, the result was a list I was quite happy with.
LIST OF STEPS TO GET PREPARED.
1. MONEY >>> Withdraw, Apply for Loans, and Mortgages >>> Optimize your use of Money in the following steps.
2. RENTALS >>> Find information on Houses, Warehouses, Vehicles, and Containers >>> Use minimal Money >>> Select the safest ones.
3. REPAIRS >>> Modify and improve what you learned in step 2 >>> Use minimal Money >>> Modify the Security Methods from what you learned in step 2.
4. SUPPLIES >>> Find supplies: Food, Medicine, Spare Parts, Seeds, among other things >>> Use minimal Money >>> Move Resources to the locations in step 2.
5. ALTERNATIVE METHODS >>> Use alternative methods for step 4 >>> Search for Underground Markets >>> Add Weapons and Ammunition to the list.
6. INFORMATION >>> Gather information: Department stores, private armories, specialized warehouses (medicines), autonomous buildings, fuel depots, factories, workshops, among other things >>> Obtain study materials.
Once I finished writing the final list, I reviewed each step-in search of new ideas that would be useful, but everything that came to mind seemed unfeasible or unnecessary. However, after looking at it one last time, I remembered something very important.
"I should write down as an initial step to notify everyone I can", I thought anxiously. This would definitely be the most complicated step.
0. NOTIFY >>> Seek information about pandemics >>> Distort or manipulate information to be credible >>> Alert family, friends, and acquaintances.
After adding this initial step and being satisfied with this new step, I began to review it point by point.
First, the money will be easy to come by. While what I ultimately collect won't be a huge amount, it can help me prepare properly. Furthermore, I've worked from a young age and have avoided wasting my money, so most of what I've earned has been saved or invested. They haven't brought me extravagant returns, but enough to grow my money.
On the other hand, I have the deeds to my parents' land in my name, along with a couple of cars, which I could mortgage to take out substantial loans and increase the preparation funds. And if this is all just a bad trick on my mind, with the savings I have, it's possible to start over. It will take a couple of years to get back to this point, but it is possible to recover.
I'll use the money I have on hand to work on the first steps, trying not to spend more than necessary. Then, when I get the rest of the money, I can work on the rest of the steps.
"I hope the bank doesn't give me any trouble getting the money. I don't want to resort to illegal loans to increase my funds to prepare", I thought as I tried to find alternative ways to get money.
Regarding rentals, I was struggling because most of the real estate agencies I knew only deal with apartments or houses in the suburbs, which doesn't fulfill their primary purpose: to provide safe havens.
I checked my phone and, realizing I still had time, I started searching for different real estate firms, construction contractors, even land buying and selling websites.
I found a large number of houses in villages like my dream home, which would only be a safe haven if I rented them all, which is impossible, so they were ruled out. I also found private homes with good facilities; the purchase prices were high, but the rental prices were cheaper. I could afford several of those private homes to rent and wouldn't spend much of my initial budget.
The modifications, which I'll be making illegally and without the owners' permission, can be costly for houses with a lot of land available. So, I had to filter out some, either because of the aforementioned reasons, their location, or some houses that were so secure that the modifications were minimal.
An important fact is that I managed to find two locations within the city that could be optimal as temporary bases, and with a few modifications, they would be very resistant to zombies and intruders. However, the problem is that the modifications will have to be made in the last few days, as they are houses monitored by the owners.
Another important fact is that I was able to find a house near my parents' town, so with a little extra money and a few modifications, they'll be able to have a place to get shelter in the first few days. Convincing them won't be complicated; it will simply be a vacation home for relaxation, far from town, and with plenty of supplies, which I will obviously have delivered to the house before they move in. "I hope the repairs I can complete are sufficient", I thought as I let out a deep sigh.
"Even though I know the onset of disaster is approaching, and I can see part of the future, only God knows what the future holds", I said in a resigned tone.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Many thanks to those who continue to comment.
The protagonist put together a list of steps to prepare for the future. These were written before publishing the first chapter here, but they already coincided with some of the things you, the readers, have suggested the protagonist do.
I also hope you've stopped by the Discord.
By the way, I've started publishing a new novel. I hope you like it and support it as much as this one.
Read my other novel called Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time.
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